Interview with Philip Anderson

If you’re following the Sanguine Facebook page, then you may know that we’re in the process of creating a new video – and what a process it has been. As the final touch on this lengthy endeavor, we hired a composer to score the piece. Being the overly-zealous, research nerds that we are – we couldn’t help but pick his brain a little bit and find out what it is that makes him tick.

I’ve been writing music since I was in High School but wasn’t serious about it until sophomore year of college when I decided to major in music production. I spent the remaining years in school composing music for the cinema students as well as interning for HUM Music & Sound Design where I got experience writing music for advertising. Once I graduated, I moved here to LA and have been slowly making my way into music since. Currently I compose trailer music for a music production house in here in LA and freelance other projects such as this one.

– When did you first realize you had a passion for music?

I’ve been involved in music since I was in 5th grade when I took up drumming and participated in my elementary school’s band program. Since then I’ve always enjoyed music but really developed my passion for composing when I got to college and started working with cinema students to score their films.

– What’s your day-to-day like? Do you spend a lot of time scoring videos or do you do more performances?

As of now, most of my time is spent composing trailer music. Although I am also working on an EP with a songwriting friend of mine. I rarely do performances, although a few months ago I played a small show in Santa Monica with a few friends of mine just for fun.

– What is the creative process like when your scoring a video like the one you did for Sanguine?

I first focus on the video itself and what the message is. I then listen to the temp music provided or read the notes provided to understand what direction the director or producer would like for the music. After that, I just start playing on the keyboard or guitar and develop a theme/melody and harmonies that reinforce the message of the video. Once I have the basic score written out, I go back and fully orchestrate the piece and tweak the sounds to my liking. Lastly, I mix the piece and then send it off to the client.

– Last questions – if you could score a movie for one director who would it be and why?

Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium). I love his style, very raw and gritty. I also heard from speaking with a composer who worked with him that he is a big fan of drums/percussion in the music for his films which fits perfectly into my style/experience as my primary instrument is drums and I always try to incorporate intricate rhythms and percussion sounds into my music.

———————–

Stay tuned tuned for the video premiere and more looks inside Sanguine.